Main menu

Perspectives on Mississippi's public schools

Koonlaba: What you thought about how Common Core has affected introverted students

Last week, I shared an article that claimed that the Common Core standards-driven push for project-based learning and collaboration primarily accommodates extroverts and unfairly punishes introverts.

I posed the questions:

What do you think about how Common Core has affected introverted students? Do you agree or disagree? Why?

I monitored the comments to that post on Facebook, Twitter, and this blog. Here are some of my favorites:

“My children, who could be classified as introverts, like being about to interact with peers for more than the 15 mins at lunch, so it’s a good thing. Plus, the younger ones are much better writers than the oldest, who went through school without out much common core and subsequently didn’t hardly have anything from 3rd-10th grade.”

“Yeah, I always have wondered about the speaking standards. I have had a number of students over the years who are painfully shy, who are fine in a one on one situation or who express themselves very well in writing that just buckle when they have to speak in front of a group. Occasionally, a student outright refuses to even walk to the front of the room. I’ve seen a student have a panic attack over it. Public speaking is one of people’s top fears, and very few people ever actually have to do it. Why in the world are we forcing every child to do it? I don’t get that any more than why we are forcing every child to have to take advanced math courses. Do we force every child to take advanced art courses? I thought the powers that be were all about “choice”. ”

“Introverted students can be fantastic at collaborative group projects…using Google Docs. It’s all typing instead of being live conversation.”

“Teachers have been giving group work since long before Common Core. I remember my own kids’ discomfort/anguish at some of the people they were assigned to work with. I’m tired of people blaming EVERYTHING on Common Core.”

“This is idiotic, sure Common Core has some issues. This isn’t one of them.”

Amanda Koonlaba is an elementary art teacher in Tupelo, MS. She is a contributor to MSEdBlog. Her views are her own and do not represent the views of any other entity.